How to wash and Remove Necktie Stains

A necktie is often made of a delicate fabric that requires special treatment but don't need to be cleaned too frequently. Ties are expensive so you’ll want to do your best to keep them looking great and lasting longer.  Do follow easy cleaning tricks to be sure that you always have a thoroughly clean tie to wear, without shopping a new tie every time !!



 Removing stains

• A stain is almost inevitable. When the drip happens, dip a clean white napkin into club soda and dab away the stain. Do not press hard or you will rub the stain deeper into the fabric. 

•  If the stain is greasy, use talcum powder, foot powder or baking soda to absorb the excess oil. This will make additional cleaning more productive. 

• If your tie is silk, dry cleaning is the preferred cleaning method and preserves the glossy and smooth finish of silk. Ask that the tie be hand-pressed because the pressing methods are too severe to maintain the rounded edges of the tie. If pressed too hard, the fibers will actually break and you’ll have frayed edges. 

• If you choose to handwash or use a home drycleaning kit and stains are present, carefully use a pretreater on the stain and then hand wash.

Wash a Necktie


Determine what kind of material your ties are made from. Silk ties are difficult to wash by hand. Rayon, satin and other, more durable and common tie materials can be cleaned at home.

• If you suspect that the colors on a tie are not color-fast, test a small, unseen area on the back of the tie to see if the colors run.

• To clean your non-silk ties, fill the sink with cold water and add wool cleaner per the instructions on the bottle. Pin the flaps on the backs of the ties together with safety pins.

• Soak the ties for at least three minutes. If you think they need more time to soak, you can let them soak for much longer. For tough stains, gently use the toothbrush to scrub them out

• Rinse the ties thoroughly in warm water. Lay the ties flat on a towel and roll the towel up to squeeze out most of the water. Drape the damp ties over a towel rack or shower curtain rod to air dry.

• When dry, gently iron each tie on low heat.

 Ironing a Tie

• Silk and polyester ties need a cool iron.

• Wool ties need a medium-hot setting 

• Cotton and linen ties need a hot iron. 

• The tie should be ironed gently without a great deal of force. Begin on the wrong side, pressing lightly. 

•  When you iron the front of the tie, use a thin cloth between the tie and the iron. This pressing cloth will prevent scorch marks. Never iron a stained tie because you may permanently set-in the stain.

• If your tie is wrinkled and you don’t have an iron, hang the tie in a bathroom filled with steam. The steam will soften the fibers and reduce the wrinkles.

Resouce :Josh Baum www.ehow.com , Mary Marlowe Leverette  About.com Guide